WARNING: spoilers for Bridgerton season 4 part 1 ahead.
After a small lifetime, Bridgerton season 4 is finally here. The hit Netflix show has crowned Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) as its next catch of the season, with the second-eldest son hellbent on being a bohemian lothario with, ahem, questionable taste.
But what does the ending of Bridgerton season 4 part 1 tell us about what's to come? And more to the point… are Benedict and Sophie even a couple?
Bridgerton season 4 part 1 recaps
Do Benedict and Sophie get together in Bridgerton season 4 part 1?
In a word, no. In episode 1, Sophie crashed Violet Bridgerton's (Ruth Gemmell) masquerade ball at the start of the social season, which is when we discover that she is the illegitimate child of the now-deceased Lord Penwood.
When Sophie was a young child, Penwood married Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), and took in her two children Rosamund (Michelle Mao) and Posy (Isabella Wei). Instead of joining the family, Araminta relegated Sophie to the position of maid, and is furious when she uncovers Sophie's brief escape to the ball.
Benedict, however, is charmed by the mystery woman he meets at the party, with Sophie accidentally leaving her grandmother's white glove behind after the pair unexpectedly kissed. Much like Cinderella, Benedict goes door to door in search of her, with the covert help of Violet, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan). When Violet recognizes the Penwood logo on the inside of the glove, Rosamund and Posy are mistaken for Sophie.
When there's clearly no chemistry between any of them, Araminta works out that Benedict is after Sophie, casting her out onto the street. Benedict sees this unfold from a distance promising to find Sophie new work. He doesn't realize that Sophie is the woman from the ball, and when the weather turns on their ride back to town, he is injured, and must retreat to his nearby cottage.
Sophie stays with Benedict while he recovers, unsure what to do next now she's out of a job. She stays in the cottage as his guest, learning how to have free leisure time while growing closer to Benedict by the day. When Benedict kisses her, she retreats, and the two tentatively agree that they must keep their distance – especially after Benedict offers Sophie a job with Violet.
Sure enough, Sophie becomes a lady's maid at the Bridgerton house, and loves her work there. She becomes friendly with the Bridgerton women, with Violent soon offering her a permanent position in the staff, which Sophie wants to mull over.
Meanwhile, Benedict's search for his mystery lady continues, once again taken with a young woman Violet suggests as a potential match. Sophie sees the meeting happen, with Benedict trying to assure Sophie that nobody compares to her. The two have a heated argument, with Sophie telling Benedict to stay away from her and pursue the young woman he's since shown interest in.
Not happy with this, Benedict goes to find her in the servant's quarters. Things get… steamy, to put it mildly, but then comes the line that will make you want to punch the second-eldest Bridgerton son in the face.
"You deserve everything, and I want to give you as much as I can… be my mistress," Benedict confidently says. Sorry, mistress? Sophie rightly leaves, hurt, joining the rest of the staff for a night on the town.
So what else do we know about the Penwoods?
Other than Araminta treating Sophie unfairly for years, not much. Her own daughters are spoiled brats, and Araminta can't stand the fact that Sophie is a physical reminder of her husband's life before her reign of terror.
At Lord Penwood's funeral, Araminta tells Sophie that her mother was a maid, cheapening herself to be a mistress and falling pregnant when she shouldn't have. Penwood refused to talk about Sophie's mother with her, but it wasn't until Araminta arrived that Sophie became downstairs staff.
After putting Sophie through her paces doing the most ridiculous chores, Araminta doesn't just throw Sophie out, but she also starts a maid's war in the social circle. She routinely poaches maids from other houses with the promise of more money, and it becomes gossip that Sophie was so good at her job, it's taking four maids to simultaneously replace her.
Lady Featherington (Polly Walker) loses her top maid to the Penwood house, though Violet's staff pledge their loyalty to her. At the very end of episode 4, we see the trio moving in a few houses down from the Bridgerton house in Grosvenor Square, with their new staff welcoming them into their new home.
What's going on between Violet and Lord Anderson?
Violet might have thrown the masquerade ball simply to get Benedict a suitor, but turns out, she's got one of her own. That same episode is when we see her flustered around Lord Anderson (Daniel Francis), who seeks her out during the party. The steal a quiet moment alone together, but people arrive nearby before anything can happen.
Anderson then frequently visits the Bridgerton house making his intentions clear, but they continue to be interrupted at opportune moments. When Anderson says that he understands if Violet isn't ready, she doubles down on her desire, kissing him while devising a plan for them to spend some uninterrupted time together.
By the end of episode 4, the pair go to bed together, but Violet makes it clear that she wants their relationship to be kept a secret. Not only it is a huge change for her after grieving her deceased husband since before Bridgerton began, but she doesn't want her decisions to affect her children's standing.
Why are Lady Agatha and Queen Charlotte fighting?
On many levels, it's clear that Lady Agatha (Adjoa Andoh) was the best lady's maid that Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) ever had, and she's struggling to let go of that.
Even though the two are no longer in a working relationship, Charlotte denies Agatha's request to visit her ancestral homeland, prompting tensions to rise between the two of them. Agatha complains that she no longer works for Charlotte but their relationship isn't simply viewed as a friendship, scheming to replace her existing staff with the best replacement she can find.
In comes Alice (Emma Naomi), the wife of Eric Mondrich and a close confidante for Agatha. Agatha and Violet decide that Alice would be the most fitting replacement, with Alice tentative to accept the position in episode 4.
What else is happening in Bridgerton season 4 part 1?
While Penelope is still loving life as Lady Whistledown, Eloise has resigned herself to being "on the shelf." She's desperate to avoid Violet's match-making efforts, with Benedict helping to keep their mother at bay.
Meanwhile Francesca (Hannah Dodd) is struggling to reach physical climax with her husband, turning to Violet and Penelope for advice.
Bridgerton season 4 part 2 predictions
I think we can safely assume that Benedict and Sophie will officially get together in Bridgerton season 4 part 2, with Sophie resuming her rightful place as a lady of society.
Everything else is slightly less clear. Violet and Anderson likely won't have a smooth-sailing courtship, while Agatha could be absent from the rest of the season altogether.
Penelope will need to rustle up more gossip goods for Queen Charlotte as the season continues, and Eloise will likely be dragged back into society rituals kicking and screaming.
Araminta also must have a plan to try and ruin Sophie while bolstering her own reputation, but it's not yet clear what that might be. Keep an eye on Rosamund and Posy, that's all I'm saying.
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